"Your room is down the hall."
It took them nothing less than two hours to wrap up the wedding procession, bid their parents farewell and then drive all the way to Alexander's mansion where they were henceforth going to live together. And in that two hours, those were the first words Alexander uttered to Lana, his new wife.
She looked at the key in his hand, hesitating to take it from him. he had finally grown tired of the comical expression on his face and now had an emotionless one worn, his whole aura cold and unwelcoming as he showed her the way to her room.
Lana swallowed then finally took the key from him, giving their surrounding a quick glance. It wasn't her first time in his house so even if he was willing, she didn't need a tour. What however felt foreign was the fact that she was now in that house with nowhere else she could return to. She now lived there. As his wife. As Lana Sanderson Frane.
"My room's upstairs," he added, Lana's expression filled with venom. "If you need anything, you can ask any of the maids around."
"If I need anything?" her voice was laced with sarcasm as she asked him. "Anything?"
He took a step towards her, closing the distance she consciously put between them ever since they walked into the mansion. He returned his hands to their default position- his pockets- then stared at her from head to toe, spending the most time in over three hours to actually check her out.
"Lana- Miss Lana," upon getting a good look of her still in her wedding dress, he met her gaze. "You do know this wedding changes nothing, right? For starters, you do know we wont be sharing a room, right?"
"Of course," she forced a smirk. "You made that very clear when you fucked my best friend in that room."
She stared at him, hoping to get a reaction from him before he continued but she got none. "This wedding is only valid on paper," he continued regardless. "I'm not going to treat you as a wife so you don't have to treat me as your husband. I won't be expecting that from you."
She nodded, her tongue curling as she failed to come up with a comeback strong enough to mask her pain.
"Nothing is going to change. You don't owe me anything and you don't have to-"
"What am I gaining from this wedding then?" she quickly cut him off the second her brain was able to come up with words. Widening the smirk on her face, she took a bold step towards him and recalled how he changed his posture, folding her arms instead. "And no, don't recite the boring part we both already know. It's necessary for business, blah, blah, blah- I don't care about that. Yes, it might be necessary for business but only you and my parents gain that way. I'm still in college. I don't have any say in both you and my parents' business so that doesn't count. What do I actually gain from this marriage?"
His expression flickered, a mix of confusion and surprise on his face as he furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her. He observed the reduced distance between them, slowly nodding before his expression turned into one filled with amusement.
"I like your confidence," he said then once again shifted his gaze. "And honesty too."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you."
Ignoring her words, he wiggled his hand then pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to take out a black card. "Here."
"What?" she looked at the card in his hand. "What's that?"
"My card," he stated the obvious, Lana immediately rolling her eyes. "It's yours now. It's a black card. It has no limit."
"What?"
"Honestly, you're right," he went on. "I wasn't expecting you to go on with the wedding and after you did, yeah there's nothing in for you. At least, not directly. So, take it. As a little reward from me for going ahead with the wedding. Also, it would be the only part of me you'll ever be getting access to so you can just have it."
Lana's jaw could have fallen to the ground but she refused to watch that happen, gritting her teeth as hard as she could instead. Her jaw was clenched tightly as she stared at him, utterly appalled by every single thing about him.
His confidence was baffling, his nonchalance even worse. Nicholas was right. He didn't feel even the tiniest bit of remorse. And fueling her anger even more, she vowed under her breath there was no way in hell she was going to make him think he had won even a single thing with the wedding.
Flashing him a smile so wide it was going to take a shaman to decipher it was fake, she leaped forward and yanked the card from his hand, waving it happily his face. She kissed it and immediately slid it down her purse, sending him a wink as she did.
"You're a darling," her words heavily masked her emotions. "And of course, I had no intentions on living like your wife anyways. Of course, other than on paper. So, yes, thank you for this little gift. Trust I'll put it to good use."
Before she could process what the look on his face meant, she went on. "Right, since we won't be living as a couple and well, nothing's going to be changing, we can skip the whole wedding night phase, yeah? Yeah, definitely. In that case, I'm heading out. Not a problem, right? Of course, not. I have somewhere I need to be tonight so I'll be heading out then. See you later then, husband."
She blew him a kiss then grabbed her luggage, sashaying all the way down the hall to her room. She could feel his gaze on her until she was completely out of his sight, immediately pulling out her phone to text the only person she could think of at that moment.
Lana Sanderson: Let's skip the part we both pretend we're glad this wedding happened.
Lana Sanderson: Are you free tonight?
His response came in the second she stripped out of her wedding gown, the notification almost ironic. Once again, it felt like he was getting to see her in a moment when she was bare, stripped and completely vulnerable.
Nicholas Adam: It's your wedding night.
Nicholas Adam: You want to spend it with someone other than your husband?
Nicholas Adam: I'm free. Should I come pick you up?
As tempting as the offer was, she wasn't ready to match Alexander's level of petty.
Lana Sanderson: No, thanks. Send the address.
Nicholas Adam: Whatever you say, Mrs. Frane.
The term felt mocking but she ignored it and instead got changed into regular clothes. Tossing the wedding dress into the bin, she got comfortable in jeans and a crop hoodie, wiping off her makeup to go with a loose ponytail and chapstick.
She made her way out of the mansion, not bothering if she was going to run into Alexander or not. With her ordered uber already waiting for her, she got in, confirmed the address Nicholas sent to her and began the ride.
In less than thirty minutes, she was at the bar Nicholas suggested, her arms wrapped around her as she checked the place out. Suddenly feeling self conscious, she bit her lip, wishing she had put a bit more effort in her outfit for the night.
It was no surprise Alexander and Nicholas used to be friends. The bar screamed luxury, everyone present having an expensive aura lurking around them. She pressed her lips together as she took her first step in and just as she was about to take out her phone to text Nicholas, was stopped by an unfamiliar man walking up to her.
"You're Mr. Adam's guest, right? This way. He's waiting for you."
He held out his hand courteously and she nodded, following him as he led the way. They walked through the busy parts of the bar and after a couple more turns, walked into a more secluded area with only Nicholas present.
"For a second, I wasn't sure you were going to actually show up," was what he said as the escort closed the door behind them, giving them the privacy Nicholas had demanded in advance. "But then, I guess I don't know you that well."
"You don't," Lana tried to hide her discomfort as she walked up to him, stylishly checking him out as she did. It was the first time she was actually getting to take a good look at him and if she was going to be honest, he wasn't bad looking at all. Several inches taller than her with a build almost similar to Alexander's, he had curly dark hair with sharp brown eyes that seemed to stare directly into her soul. "And I don't think I know you that well either."
"Well, there's no rush," he got up and helped her with her chair, ensuring she was comfortably seated before returning to his seat. "We have all the time in the world."
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, watching the corners of his lips curl as he checked her out in the most obvious manner. "So, Lana, how are you?"
"What?" the question caught her off guard but she quickly got a grip of herself. "Why would you- I'm sure you didn't call me here to ask me how I am."
"No, I didn't," he was now smiling. "I didn't call you here. You asked to see me yourself."
"What?" her cheeks immediately heated up and before she could think twice, she rose to her feet. He was right. He didn't ask to see her. She indeed asked to see him. and for what reason? To vent out her anger? To someone she barely knew who was apparently her husband's best friend who hated him for some reason that still didn't make complete sense to her?
"Oh my God- you're right. I did. I- I shouldn't have- I'm sorry i-"
"Slow down," he swiftly rose to his feet and grabbed her by the arm before she could walk away from him. she froze, feeling his grip on her tighten as he slowly twirled her around to get her to face him. "Slow down, okay? Breathe. Slowly. Then look at me. Then listen to me."
She nodded then did exactly as he said, taking and deep breaths slowly. She exhaled then fluttered her eyes, slowly raising her head to meet his gaze and then, listen to him.
"You want to make Alexander pay, don't you?"
"Yes," she breathed out the words immediately almost like she was scared the right moment would pass. She was mad at him. she was angry. She was hurt and wanted him to feel every emotion she felt. "I really want to."
"Then you should," his voice was tender as he continued, hypnotizing Lana with every new word. She hated how gentle his tone was. How it reminded her of emotions she was desperately trying to bury. Desperately trying to mask. "You shouldn't let him get away with hurting you."
She nodded slowly, his eyes keenly on her.
"We should give him a taste of his own medicine, don't you think?"
"What?"
Her words came out in barely a whisper, not loud enough to stop his hands from immediately sliding down her back, all the way to her waist to wrap them around it. Her breath hitched for a second as he pulled her closer to him, slowly pressing her body against his.
"What are you suggesting?"
He didn't answer, instead he allowed his fingers stay pressed against her waist again. It lingered there for a while, their gazes fixed and the second she dared to look away from him, his fingers took a bold tug at the hem of her hoodie.
"What are you doing?" the cold touch of his fingers against her skin immediately snapped her back to her senses, Lana pushing him away harder than she expected. "Are you- you can't be serious."
He shrugged as he watched her take several steps backwards, adjusting her clothes like he had done more than threaten to slide his hands underneath them. "What do you think?"
"Are you insane?" Lana quickly found her voice. "Were you- is this what you meant by giving him a taste of his own medicine? Did you really think-"
"Hey, hey, I'm just joking," he raised his hands in defeat and laughed. "That was a joke."
"A joke?"
"Yes," he returned to his seat and grabbed a glass to take a swig. "Just needed to know if you were serious about getting your revenge on Alexander."
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"We could f- I could have sex with you right here and right now," his words were blunt, Lana's eyes widening. "And I promise you, it wont have any effect on Alex. So this was my way of knowing if you are down to get actual revenge on him. Not just a lame ten minutes attempt at getting back at him."
His words were confusing, Lana watching him as he took another swig. His expression had suddenly changed too, the laughter that felt a bit off but at the same time inviting now gone.
"So what exactly is your plan?" she took a timid step closer to him. "What exactly do you intend on doing? And what exactly are you gaining from this? Are you really just doing this because he slept with Joan? You and Joan-"
"I plan on making him miserable," he cut her off to say. "And to do that to someone like Alexander, the first thing to do is get rid of his solace."
"His solace?"
"Women," he nodded. "Random women."
"What?"
"Alexander's way of unwinding is by fucking random women," he continued, Lana's stomach churning in response. "He has a bar he frequents whenever he is stressed and it's safe to say, all the women line up to be his next bed partner for the night."
"Oh."
"So, first, I'm going to be getting rid of that."
"The bar?"
"The women," he corrected then returned his smirk to his face like he could read her mind on how she considered that almost impossible. "You don't have to worry about how I'll be getting that done. The only thing I'll be needing from you for now is to provoke him."
"Provoke him?" she swallowed. "Make him angry?"
"Is that going to be hard?"
"What? No, of course not," she shook her head, the thought of him sleeping with random women immediately riling her up. "I can do that. Of course I can."
"Good then," he snapped his fingers then immediately rose to his feet. "You do that and leave the rest to me."
"What?"
"You should head back home now," he stretched his arm and smiled. "Except you really want to spend your wedding night with me."